- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1964–1979
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 96.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 92.0
GOAT Rank · 13
Greatest American Football Safety of all time
This ranking uses verified career records and GOAT Rank's published model. Every listed athlete clears the data eligibility threshold.
#AthleteGOAT Score
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1996–2011
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 90.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1967–1980
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 2003–2014
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1981–1994
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 84.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1993–2007
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1960–1971
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1990–2001
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 2002–2013
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1952–1959
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 74.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1970–1979
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 74.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1989–1999
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 78.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1981–1987
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 62.0
| # | Athlete | Sport | Country | Career | GOAT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | Paul Krause | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1964–1979 | 90 |
| 45 | Brian Dawkins | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1996–2011 | 88.9 |
| 145 | Ken Houston | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1967–1980 | 86.8 |
| 151 | Troy Polamalu | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 2003–2014 | 86.7 |
| 197 | Ronnie Lott | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1981–1994 | 85.9 |
| 210 | John Lynch | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1993–2007 | 85.6 |
| 212 | Johnny Robinson | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1960–1971 | 85.6 |
| 237 | LeRoy Butler | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1990–2001 | 85.2 |
| 258 | Ed Reed | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 2002–2013 | 84.5 |
| 279 | Bobby Dillon | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1952–1959 | 83.9 |
| 287 | Cliff Harris | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1970–1979 | 83.7 |
| 297 | Steve Atwater | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1989–1999 | 83.2 |
| 325 | Kenny Easley | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1981–1987 | 81.8 |
Compare the leaders
Paul Krause vs Brian DawkinsRead the full methodology
Sport lists use the raw In-Sport GOAT Score. Cross-sport lists use the official competition-depth adjustment. No scores are recalculated for this page.
Read the full methodologyFrequently asked questions
How is this ranking calculated?
Five verified components are weighted consistently: dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.
Who is included?
Only verified athletes with sufficient career history, metrics, honours and independent sources are eligible.
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